KEY POINTS:
Russian cosmonauts earn less than $1179 per month and the Government-run programme is having a hard time attracting would-be space-farers. The amount is far less than what they could attract in the private sector. So the rocket company Energia has allowed university students to apply to be cosmonauts before they graduate. That didn't pan out so well. Only five of 20 students who volunteered for the programme in 2006 underwent medical tests. None of them passed.
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The twice-a-day battle to get your children to brush their teeth could be over. Toy company Hasbro is rolling out a toothbrush that plays music through kids' teeth as they brush. When the children push a button on the manual toothbrush, it "plays" a song. As the bristles are brushed across the teeth, they send sound waves through them so that the users hear the song in their head.
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A reader writes: "I've got a much cheaper option than the Eden Park upgrade. Why don't we hold it at the Domain and everyone can bring their own seats! We could call it "Rugby World Cup in the Park."
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A window cleaner fell asleep on the job - while working on the 20th floor of a US skyscraper. Passers-by in Nashville, Tennessee, called the fire department after noticing the man was not moving. The man woke up after firefighters tugged on his ropes, then held up a sign from inside the window to get his attention. The window cleaner lowered himself to the pavement, where he walked over to an ambulance to be examined by paramedics. A witness, who watched the man for 30 minutes before fire engines arrived, said: "I figured he had just either passed out or maybe he had fallen asleep. It's sunny and warm up there, and there's no wind." (Source: Ananova.com)
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Now that's a nanny state mentality: The local council in Bristol, England, has banned doormats in public housing because they are a "tripping hazard". Officials say they'll seize any mats not voluntarily removed by residents.
